Ahhh, I love the beach. I love every single thing about it.

I love the sand, the surf, the roar of waves crashing, the smell of saltwater in the air.

I love to perch under an umbrella on a beach chair, juicy novel in one hand and pina colada in another.

I love to walk the long stretches on the sand in the early morning when the crowds have not yet gathered, and a souvenir-worthy shell might be spotted on the sand.

I love the craggy beaches of Italy, obstacle courses slowing your descent into the crystal-clear water.

I love the silky sand of the Caribbean, luminous under the setting sun.

I love the unassuming beaches in Australia, letting you think this is a beach trip like any other, letting the reefs just offshore knock your socks off.

I love the people watching, beachgoers in every size and shape and degree of coverage.

I love beach food, from fish tacos and crispy fries to pasta nerano and sangria.

I love the little tinge of sun-kissed pink on your nose and cheeks even if you’ve diligently applied your sunblock.

I love the beach clubs of Europe, swanky and buzzy and unabashed.

I love the toddlers suited up with the floaties and the goggles and the white sunscreen who dashed away before it could be rubbed in completely.

I love dinner at the beach, freshly showered, still-wet hair pulled back and donning a breezy sundress and sandals.

But more than anything, I love to swim in the wide-open water. Be in the sea or the ocean, I love to wade in, jump in, dive in, tiptoe in. My daughter and I have a strict rule that we will take a dip in any body of water, no matter how cold it might be. We might zip right on back out to a warm towel and heated pool instead, but we have never – even at Deception Island in Antarctica, shied away from taking the plunge.

I love to wade out from the shore, stand with my back to the cresting waves, unaware of how big they might be or how far I might get swept by them. Each time one picks me up I cackle with delight and also with a little fear, exhilarated by the power of the waves. I also love to jump, arms flailing, off a boat into the wide-open sea. Water so clear you can see every one of your fingers and toes through it. It’s always a little bracing on impact, but the sparkle of it all is so intoxicating that it makes up for the chill.

I often ask myself why I love the water so much – and I think it is two seemingly opposite things at the same time. I love the vastness of it – water for as far as the eye can see and feeling small in relation to it all. The perspective on how the Earth is vast and large swaths of it are inhabited not by people and buildings and problems, but by creatures and reefs and natural wonder. But on the other hand, I’m also lifted up by the sense that, even in its vastness, we can each have our place. Our own small spot in the world that we alone occupy and adorn and animate. Where we lift our faces to the sun, waves crashing, squealing with delight at the majesty and the wonder of it all.

It had been almost two years since I’d been to the beach, the last time being the picture-perfect beaches in Mallorca while vacationing in Spain. I’m taking the children on a little adventure at summer’s end, but it’s not a beach trip, necessarily. I have to admit that I’d been getting antsy trying to find an excuse to go to the ocean, and into my inbox appeared an invite to market in Miami. I had a flight booked before the end of the day, and I’m sending this note from the balcony of my pretty hotel, the moonlight reflecting just a hint of shimmer off the water.

The Tiny Finch is so full of goodies for a beach getaway that I think the only piece in my suitcase not from the shop was my swimsuit! We’ve got beautiful sleeved dresses for work or chilly restaurants, pretty sundresses for strolling on the beach or rooftop brunch (although we got rained on this morning and made a mad dash to the car in ours!) or my favorite silk dresses perfect for dressing up or down. In my carry-on I had all my new Roz hair products in perfect travel sizes, my favorite perfume from Italy, perfect beachy shades of Kure polish and my travel-size Kate McLeod moisturizer.